Sri Lanka's Tigers 'facing defeat'

President says victory near as diplomats call for ceasefire to help trapped civilians.

04 Feb 2009 12:47 GMT

Sri Lanka's government has ruled out a ceasefire and says it is close to crushing the Tamil Tigers [Reuters]

Ceasefire urged

International pressure, meanwhile, has been mounting on the government to call a ceasefire and allow trapped civilians to escape the combat zone.

Aid groups say about 250,000 people have been trapped and dozens of others killed in crossfire. The government, however, puts the number of trapped civilians at about 120,000 and says the military has taken "great care" to avoid civilian casualties.